Many engines, including diesel engines used by locomotives and the like, using valve trains to control the timing of the opening and closing of intake and/or exhaust valves. As can be imagined, the timing of opening or closing these valves is important to make the engine run properly. These valve trains may use a cam shaft that actuates a cam follower rocker arm that moves a pushrod up and down, which in turn, causes one end of an overhead rocker arm to move up and down. This creates a rocking motion of the overhead rocker arm so that the other end opposite the end engaged by the pushrod, also moves up and down. This end of the overhead rocker arm may move a valve member so that the valve member opens and closes at the appropriate time.
As can be imagined, such valve trains are assembled to create the engine or after maintenance has been performed on the engine and/or valve train. During the assembly process, the pushrod is typically seated or otherwise mated to a surface of a depression of a rocker arm. Once properly aligned, bolts are torqued on a rocker bridge member that keeps the rocker arm, pushrod, and other components of the valve train in place.
However, in some instances, the pushrod is not always completely properly seated on the pad or button of the rocker arm when the bolts are torqued. As a result, the pushrod may slide off the rocker arm or may be bent as the bolts are torqued as an unintended compressive load is applied to the pushrod. In some cases, the portion of the rocker arm contacting the pushrod may also become damaged. This may cause the engine to malfunction or be damaged further once the engine is turned on, etc.
Accordingly, it is desirable to develop an apparatus and/or method to help prevent improper assembly of the valve train such that the pushrod is properly mated or aligned with a feature of a rocker arm.